First or second draft submitted?
I have a writing question to ask. Here's the thing. I see on plenty of blogs, published writers who seem to start their contracted books and count down to their deadline scrambling at the last moment to finish on time. To me, this looks like they're submitting a first draft to their editor and then do the bulk of their edits and changes in tandem with what their editor tells them needs to be fixed. Is this the norm?
I feel like I perhaps do an unnecessary extra step -- a second draft. My personal deadline is at least a month earlier than my official deadline, which gives me two weeks for the manuscript to sit and fester, and then two weeks for me to tweak it. My first editor told me how clean my drafts were and I didn't know what she meant at the time. But is it the fact that a whole lot of writers don't hand in a second draft? If this is so, I think I could save myself that entire month of tweakage and work on something else.
Then again, I kind of like the feel of handing something with all my commas nicely organized. Doesn't mean I'll have any less to do when the edit letter comes in. It all depends on the book.
--Michelle
P.S. My fifth book has just been released. Stakes & Stilettos is available now! (It had a fairly short edit letter. The next one in the series, though, a tad longer).
I feel like I perhaps do an unnecessary extra step -- a second draft. My personal deadline is at least a month earlier than my official deadline, which gives me two weeks for the manuscript to sit and fester, and then two weeks for me to tweak it. My first editor told me how clean my drafts were and I didn't know what she meant at the time. But is it the fact that a whole lot of writers don't hand in a second draft? If this is so, I think I could save myself that entire month of tweakage and work on something else.
Then again, I kind of like the feel of handing something with all my commas nicely organized. Doesn't mean I'll have any less to do when the edit letter comes in. It all depends on the book.
--Michelle
P.S. My fifth book has just been released. Stakes & Stilettos is available now! (It had a fairly short edit letter. The next one in the series, though, a tad longer).
Comments
Second drafts are absolutely necessary. I go through a lot of steps before my publisher sees anything. First, I'm going back every few weeks and reading over previous chapters for errors and continuity. Then I finish the draft, leave it along for a week, read and correct it. My writing buddy reads the chapters and points out any errors she sees. I let the manuscript sit for a week, then edit and rewrite. I submit that draft to my agent. She reads and corrects it. (Sometimes we go through several drafts that way. Book two, Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men, was a particularly prickly manuscript.) I rewrite it again, and then I submit to my editor.
You're not alone!
Moll
(Congrats on the fifth book!)
At this point, I still need the extra passes to make sure the story I wanted to tell is the one on the page. I am learning from my mistakes, but there are always amazingly stupid things that I miss on my own.
We'll have to see what the future brings and how it changes my draft habits. :)
I do know some authors who go through seven drafts of a novel before publication in order to make sure that everything right (of which three drafts are of the book before the publisher even see's it.)
The thing that you have to remember is that there is no right or wrong approach to this, its what works for you at the end of the day and how confident you feel about it.
THAT said, I haven't, as Kelly said, butted up against a deadline. I have given myself ample time to write mah books.
BUT I plan on writing two, one from my new series idea, this summer. Who thinks I can do it?????
I wish I had more time to write, but even at only one book a year, there are always a bunch of other projects falling onto my desk to eat up my "free" writing time. I guess I'm just not very organized....
End of rant.
Congrats on the release!